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Character

Character is derived from the Greek word meaning "engraving" and denotes characteristic signs acquired through social interactions and relationships. It is defined as the sum of stable individual properties revealed through one's actions and communication that determine typical behavior patterns. Character is formed through a lifetime of involvement in social systems and is shaped by experience rather than innate qualities. It is the result of personal growth and is revealed through one's conduct and relationships with others. Personality can become altered under conditions of severe stress, anxiety or frustration when one's mental equilibrium is disrupted, leading to disintegration of typical functioning and the potential emergence of different personality characteristics or states. Some specific disorders that can result in altered personalities include dissociative identity disorder and dementia.

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52 views1 page

Character

Character is derived from the Greek word meaning "engraving" and denotes characteristic signs acquired through social interactions and relationships. It is defined as the sum of stable individual properties revealed through one's actions and communication that determine typical behavior patterns. Character is formed through a lifetime of involvement in social systems and is shaped by experience rather than innate qualities. It is the result of personal growth and is revealed through one's conduct and relationships with others. Personality can become altered under conditions of severe stress, anxiety or frustration when one's mental equilibrium is disrupted, leading to disintegration of typical functioning and the potential emergence of different personality characteristics or states. Some specific disorders that can result in altered personalities include dissociative identity disorder and dementia.

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Placement officer
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Character:

The word character is derived from Greek—where it means ‘Engraving (art of cutting
design and sign)’. The term character indeed denotes characteristic signs acquired by
social man. It is defined as “the sum total of a person’s stable individual properties
arising and revealing themselves in activity and communication, and determining his
typical forms of behaviour”.

Alexander Shang has defined character as “the mental and moral equipment acquired
from education and environment and is revealed in the conduct of individual and his
relationship with people”. Hence it may be stated that the character is a mental
structure, organised and enduring (long lasting), ever influencing our conduct and social
behaviour.

Character is a lifetime gain of a person who, by getting involved in the system of social
relations, in joint activity and communication with other people moulds his own
personality and individuality. Character is the result of growth, it is not innate. That
means, we are not born with character- we have acquired it.

Our emotional attitudes and sentiments lead to growth of character. Attitudes and
habits are different from character. All acquired tendencies put together becomes
character. Character may be good and strong like service motto, honesty, friendliness,
etc. may be bad such as telling lies, deceiving others, dishonesty, etc.

Alterations in Personality:
Personality is the dynamic organisation of various physical, psychological and
temperamental qualities of a person. Normal functioning of these processes will lead to
a normal personality. On the other hand, any abnormality will lead to some changes or
alterations in personality. This is truer in psychological disturbances.

When a person is experiencing severe frustrations, anxiety, stress, etc. he cannot


manage his equilibrium. This results in disintegration of personality. In this state his
thinking, reasoning, perception, memory and such other intellectual functions get
paralysed. The disintegration in the functioning of these processes lead to certain
alterations in personality.

Some of the commonly reported alterations in personality are, double or multiple


personalities (in which the mind splits into more than one process, resulting in
formation of different unique personalities).

This disorder appears in a condition called dissociative form of hysteria. Other forms of
alterations include Somnambulism (sleep walking), Dementia of Alzheimer type,
Dissociative identity disorder, Amnesia and Fugue, Senile psychosis, etc. During these
altered states, there will be a set of different personality characteristics, expressed by the
individual, which may be normal or abnormal, depending upon

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